Are racquet sports the key to a longer life?

It's a well-known fact that exercise is good for your health, helping to keep weight down, manage blood pressure and improve general bodily function. However, new research now shows that the type of sport we opt for may have more of an affect than originally thought.

A study by Oxford University suggests that playing racquet sports – such as tennis or squash – could be the key to longevity, while other pastimes such as running and football seemingly have no impact on lifespan.

The study

Researchers followed more than 8,000 people for an average of nine years to look at the impact that different sports had on them over a long period of time. Results showed that people who played racquet sports regularly were the least likely to die over the study period with swimmers coming in second, reducing the individual risk of death by 47% and 28% respectively.

During the study period, 8,790 participants died, 1,909 of which from heart disease. With this in mind, the research team was also able to conclude that racquet sports and swimming played a part in lowering the risk of heart deaths – by 56% and 41% respectively. Other exercises showing a positive impact included cycling, dancing, gymnastics and aerobics.

Great Britain's Andy Murray finished 2016 as the world's no. 1 tennis player

GettyJulian Finney

Why?

It is believed that the difference may be down to the social aspects involved in sport. Those who partake in racquet sports regularly are often involved in clubs and other organised activities both on and off the court, while those who play team sports in their younger years tend not to continue once their teams disband. Dr Charlie Foster, associate professor of physical activity and population health at Oxford, explains:

"We think racquet sports not only offer the usual physiological benefits but also offer additional mental health and social benefits perhaps unique to these sports. We had a younger group of team sports players and runners and we may not have enough deaths to see a difference at this point in time, another five years and we will know with more precision. One theory might be the team players struggle to graduate to new sports or activities once they stop playing, so they lose the benefits of their active younger days."

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There have also been suggestions that the seasonal nature of team sports may also have an effect, as participants are unable to keep them up all year round.

Things to think about

As Dr Foster touched upon, the runners and footballers in the study tended to be younger, meaning that the full benefit of their sporting days may not yet have begun to show. It is also worth bearing in mind that several past studies have proved these sports to be good for health, and that any exercise is always better than no exercise. Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, says:

"For most people the motivation to engage in sport related physical activity is, and should remain, enjoyment of the sport, and team camaraderie that is linked to team games. If you enjoy running or football, do not let these findings put you off! Those who are not keen on participation in sport can be reassured that they can maintain their health and fitness in other ways including being active daily and over a week aim for 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity, such as walking or cycling and reducing the amount of time they spend in sedentary activity. Despite only certain types of exercise showing a reduced risk of developing heart and circulatory disease in this study, doing 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week is still the recommended guidelines. The majority of people are not reaching this target and I would encourage people to take part in a form of exercise that they enjoy and motivates them help them achieve this."

The research analysed information from 11 annual health surveys for England and Scotland, carried out between 1994 and 2008, in which people gave details of how much physical activity they had been doing in recent weeks. It is therefore worth taking into account that the self-reported nature of the study could leave it open to inaccurate data.

The materials in this web site are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor. The web site does not have answers to all problems. Answers to specific problems may not apply to everyone. If you notice medical symptoms or feel ill, you should consult your doctor - for further information see our Terms and conditions.

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